


The Old Man in Black

by The_Bastard_Writer



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Batman Beyond, Batman: The Animated Series, DC Animated Universe (Timmverse), DCU (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Drugs, F/M, Gotham City is Terrible, Gritty, Sex, Violence, War, mafia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-22
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-11 23:13:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29625474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Bastard_Writer/pseuds/The_Bastard_Writer
Summary: Gotham City belongs to the Old Man in Black. The League of Assassins under the leadership of the Demon's Head Damian Wayne and the Court of Owls under the control of Talon Dick Grayson, are supposed to run the streets of the Gotham together but now inch closer and closer to all out war with each other. Barbara Gordon, now commissioner of Gotham PD struggles to control a department that causes more problems then it solves. And Tim Drake, Gotham's new Batman is the only one still fighting for justice, a word in constant danger of losing its meaning.
Relationships: Barbara Gordon/Bruce Wayne, Minor Cassandra Cain/Damian Wayne, Raven/Damian Wayne
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	1. Owls and Assassins

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN BATMAN OR ANY DC CHARACTERS, THIS IS ALL FOR LOVE NOT PROFIT. 

His mask fit him snugly and he was sure there would be a red lined indentation around his face come morning. A child of wealth and privilege, he would have normally have considered work such as this beneath him. 

Security for an alien, a promiscuous off world whore, thinking of her put a bad taste in his mouth. Such a poor excuse for a woman wouldn’t even be allowed in his home, but here he was standing outside enduring the cold of a classic Gotham winter for her. 

Cold such as this fed him venomous thoughts, maybe he should talk to some of the boys. The true princes of Gotham, they surely felt just as he did about the whole situation.  
How could a circus freak, a god damn orphan, be the leader of their once great organization. 

Turning to the tinted window of the nightclub behind him, he stared at his reflection.  
Expensive tailor made suit and the mask, he was new at this and was still getting used to seeing himself with the face of an Owl. 

Still staring, he told himself that's it, he had it, that alien bitch was supposed to be confined to her penthouse during her stay not go out gallivanting with some super freak. Another obnoxious son of a bitch. He didn’t care who they were or who the boy's fathers were. 

Did they know who he was, did they know who his father was.

Taking a deep breath, mentally preparing his fuck you speech, he straightend his tie and collar.  
Then watched the katana blade exit the front of his chest as it plunged right into him from behind. Just as quickly as it entered, it was pulled out and he spent his last seconds shocked at the futility of his life and the quickness of his death. 

The League didn’t have to worry about screams revealing their assault, the music from inside was so loud it could be felt. 

Cassandra watched the suited Owl wither to the floor then cleaned her blade on her victim’s once expensive jacket. She reached down to grab the mask, the whiteness of its face contrasted with the darkness of its eyes. 

“Cass put that fucking thing down and get in formation” 

Shrugging at the woman in the demon mask to her left, Cass dropped the owl mask and gestured for the black clad assassins to take up positions behind her. It had been months since she blooded her blade and she could hear her mother’s voice warning her about going soft. 

They were to hit their target like a wave, moving in swiftly and flooding the establishment with death. Slipping inside the club, using the side entrance despite their leaders chiding,

“Al Ghuls attack from the front.”

Cass was one of the few members of the League who did not give Mara Al Ghul her way and had enough skill to survive telling the demoness no. Damian wanted this done right, a swift execution not a bloody massacre. 

They cleared the hallway without incident, the arrogance of the Owls made them easy prey.  
\------  
The club was dark but the multi colored strobe lights were almost blinding. The target was sitting on the lap of a complication, one that would need to be addressed immediately. 

“See Conner, this place puts all those dives in metropolis to shame”

The super son looked at the alien sitting in his lap skeptically, he had been warned about her by several members of the Justice League including his father. 

“Don’t think I can’t see you rolling your eyes behind those shades, what you think your cooler than everyone because you wear sunglasses at night,”

“Honey, I’ve partied in Central City, Star City, and any city worth knowing the name of, fuck Gotham,”

Blackstar smiled and stood up, providing Superboy with a face full of her cleavage. The sight shut him up, all boys were the same, boys from earth, krypton and every planet in between. 

Taking a shot of vodka then washing it down with a sip of champagne she hoped Conner was better in bed then he was on a date. He was annoying and for the planet earth that was saying something. 

“So according to the Justice League, your a wanted women,”

“Boy, I am wanted by way more than just your little league of do gooders”

She hated when men brought up her criminal record, as if being an intergalactic criminal somehow made her easy. Blackstar had no time for fools, she used them and dumped them before they could even fathom doing the same to her. With her sister reigning on Tamaran, she was free to travel the galaxy and fuck up in any and everyway that she wanted too, but that came with its own problems. 

Starfire, another self righteous do-gooder, had exiled her for her supposed crimes, leaving her without a safe haven, before she could have some fun and return home without worry. A princess of the royal family meant any attempt on her would be a declaration of war but with Star on the throne there was no longer a Tamranaian army to protect her. 

Earth was okay, it wasn’t the shittiest planet she’d been too but it wasn’t anything special either.

“You know, I know a little something about being wanted myself, when I was working with Lex I had my own share of nasty adventures”  
Blackfire watched Superboy wink at her and give her a dirty smile.

“And I’d bet you'd like to tell me all about them huh”  
She said, returning to his lap with her glass still in hand. 

Superboy took a drag from a strange looking joint and grabbed her by her chin bringing her mouth to his. Exhaling into her mouth she inhaled using her Tamaranian ability stealing his hit entirely. 

“So what is this again”  
He asked before taking another hit, this time keeping it for himself.

“I’d tell you, but you wouldn’t be able to pronounce it anyway,”

“Try me,”

“Glandorphian Hexolac,”

His face changed to reflect his confusion, then eyed the joint suspiciously.  
“And what does it do again,”

She leaned into him and whispered in his ear.  
“Don’t fuck this up and later on I’ll show you,”

Kissing his ear, she extended her tongue and wrapped it around his entire ear lobe.  
Superboy’s face changed again this time expressing the lustful thoughts that had entered his mind.

The sounds of several throats slitting simultaneously quickly brought him to attention. Looking around Superboy realized the goofy Owl faced guards that had come with the sexy alien princess in front of him had all disappeared. Using his vision he saw them on the floor bleeding with ninja looking figures standing above them. 

“Blackstar”  
His voice now reflecting the seriousness of the situation. 

“What Conner”  
Before he could answer he was interrupted by a heavily accented voice.

“May we join you”

Not waiting for an answer, two women, one hooded and another in a demon mask, entered their booth.Taking a seat across from Black Star and Superboy. The booth was then surrounded by Assassins from the League, all armed with swords and spears. 

“Excuse me, bitches, this isn’t halloween”  
Blackstar’s voice showed her irritation and growing anger. 

“Says the alien”  
The demon masked women replied.

“That’s Mara Al Ghul and the other one is Cassandra Cain,”  
Superboy could see right through the mask and hood. 

Grunting loudly, the woman took off her demon mask and revealed her jet black hair interrupted by the occasional streak of red. The other woman didn’t bother pulling her hood back, unlike Mara, she didn’t let these people get to her.

“Good to know, now what the fuck do you want,”  
Blackstar had run out of patience, already letting her hands fall to her sides and readying them to strike. 

Seeing Blackstar’s hands, Cass gripped the blade at her side, mentally plotting her next cuts. 

“Maybe a foursome,”  
Superboy’s half serious joke failed to disrupt the escalating situation. 

Moving so fast only Superboy could see what happened, Mara slammed a dagger into the table in between them. The impact of the dagger shook the table causing the drinks to spill, some of which landed on Blackstar’s lap. 

“You Bitch”  
Black Star now stood up and stared down at the women still seated in front of her.

“I am here to offer you a chance to fall on your sword and die an honorable death, if not I will surely take pleasure in killing you and pissing on your alien corpse,”  
At the end of her sentence, Mara looked up at Blackstar and allowed her hair to fall to the side revealing the white left pupil of her scared face. 

Superboy stood up with a bottle in one hand and a joint in the other.  
“Ladies please, can’t we have a drink and a smoke some this, uh, what’s this called again”

Before anyone could respond the music stopped and the house lights of the club suddenly turned on. Across the room stood several suited men in Owl masks holding an array of automatic weapons. They immediately opened fire, hitting several League members. 

Cass stood up and in one motion pulled her blade and began using it to block her and Mara from the swarm of bullets headed their way. 

Superboy turned to face the Owls and watched as the bullets bounced off his chest, shielding Blackstar behind him, he was still unsure of how bulletproof Tamarinians were . 

When the Owls stopped to reload, Blackstar wasted no time, she sent purple starbolts into Mara and Cass. The bolts causing them both to dive for cover, landing several feet away, their fall cushioned by the bodies of club goers who were hit with bullets. 

The Assassins still standing rushed the Owls, slicing and stabbing those who were caught mid reload. 

Drinking from the miraculously unshattered bottle, Superboy wondered if he should intervene. 

Mara and Cass struggling to get to their feet, kept slipping on the blood and bodies that covered the floor.

They saw the League and Owls engaged in a mix of shooting and slashing at one another, Superboy drinking calmly, and then fixated their eyes on the back of Blackfire as she made her way towards the exit.

“Get the target, tonight my blade will taste Kryptonian blood,”  
Yelled Mara as she made her way to Superboy. 

Cass shook her head, Mara was always trying to outdo Damian even if that meant letting her take out their target. Taking off after Blackfire, Cass felt excited about the coming hunt and the opportunity to present the Tamranian’s head to Damian.

Finishing the bottle, Superboy started whisking civilian survivors out of the club, carefully laying them on the street outside before returning. On his ninth run he was met with a Katana to the face. The force broke the blade and gave him a bad headache. 

Shaking away the stars his eyes focused on the short rabinous looking woman in front of him still holding the broken sword hilt. 

“My thanks Kryptonian,” Mara said as she dropped her sword.

“Uh why”  
Superboy was puzzled and still rubbing the place where the blade had connected with his foreword. 

“Gotham is forbidden to members of the Justice League, your foolishness has now given me, Mara Al Ghul, daughter of Dusan Al Ghul, Grand daughter of the great Ras Al Ghul, cousin of the Demon’s Head Damian Al” 

Before she could finish, Superboy shot his heat vision at her, forcing her to stop her speech and leap out of the way.

“What the fuck is wrong with you”  
Superboy hoped a show of force would help the demented little woman see reason.

“Die Kryptonian!”  
Mara sent several daggers at Superboy as she yelled. 

\------  
Blackfire walked calmly through the backrooms of the club. She was confident that she had gotten away behind the veil of the sign marked staff only. 

Cass didn’t need to say a word to Blackfire, throwing her dagger and watching it connect with the Tamaranian's shoulder gave the clearest message, escape would not be easy. 

Feeling the blade embedded in her right shoulder blade, Blackfire quickly pulled it out and wildy flung several starbolts behind her before running to what she hoped was an exit. 

Blackfire was wrong, her exit was actually a storage room and she now found herself cornered by Cass. 

Facing down the hooded assassin, Blackfire tried another approach. In addition to being a princess and a criminal, she believed herself to be a skilled negotiator. 

“Look girl, woman, creepy psycho person, I have jewels, real gems from the Miglothonian system, how about I accidentally drop one and you say you lost me”

Cass responded by unsheathing her Katana. 

“Bitch”  
Blackfire followed her curse with a purple star bolt, this time it was deflected by Cass’s blade. 

The move gave her enough time to blast a whole through the back wall of the room, thankfully leading outside. Running through and taking flight, Blackfire was sure she was home free. 

Shaking her head, Cass resheathed her sword and then pulled a collapsible bow from behind her back. Unfolding the bow and pulling an arrow from a pouch strapped to her thigh, she took aim at the flying Tamarainian. 

Smiling to herself, Cass pulled back her bow string and shot Blackfire down.


	2. Her Batgirl Mask

Batman watched Blackfire’s ascent into the air, then watched as it suddenly stopped followed by her rapid fall to the ground below.

This was a weird night, even by Gotham standards. 

He had been on patrol when his scanner picked up the call, shots fired, multiple bodies, and a battle still in progress. No word from the higher ups, no surprise when you have a junkie as chief.

Hitting the throttle he zoomed through the city mentally preparing for the challenges ahead of him  
.  
The moment he heard the address, he knew the Owls were involved. The club was in the oldest part of the city, the building itself had been a vice-ridden establishment for over a century. It was frequented by corporate and crime bosses alike, all being able to relax under the protection of the Court. 

To make a bad situation worse, a description of some of the victims was given. Slices to the neck and stabs to the heart, all done by a Katana. Only one organization had such deadly precision, the League of Assassins. Ever since they abandoned Nanda Parbat at the request of their new Demon’s Head, they had taken up residence in the city. No surprise the crime rate went down but the murder rate went up.

The League of Assassins and the Court of Owls were now locked in an undeclared war over Gotham. Undeclared did not mean there wasn’t any fighting, there had been plenty of misunderstandings and over reactions like tonight. 

Batman felt uncomfortable when he thought of the whole situation, the old man was the only reason they didn’t stop this facade and fight each other to the death in the streets.

The old man kept the fake peace but he didn’t punish the guilty or seek justice, he wasn’t into that anymore.

Looking at his reflection in the rearview mirror, the Batman is the only one who could do it, who could protect the innocent people of Gotham from the vile scum and their feuds. 

When he arrived, he didn’t bother parking, he slammed the brakes and let the momentum carry himself out the retracted roof of the Batmobile and into the building. There was no need for stealth, no one inside was paying enough attention for it to matter. Owls and Assassins had taken over the dance floor and were trying their best to kill each other. At the bar, Mara, one of the League’s infamous Al Ghuls, was trying to fight Conner Kent. 

Batman didn’t have to ask why Superboy was there, being that they were in a nightclub it wasn’t like the young Kent was out of his element. 

“Can I cut in”  
Batman’s words interrupted the Owls and Assassins, they all turned and hesitated. He was sure they were questioning whether to keep fighting each other or start fighting him. With a bat taser in each hand, Batman engaged them all, answering the question for them.  
\-------  
Mara was exhausted and slowing down. She had dodged heat vision shots, super powered strikes and even managed to get a few blows in from the mini arsenal strapped to her body. Despite her frustration, Mara was satisfied, she had made the kryptonian bleed. The genetic dilution of his father’s DNA was starting to show. 

Superboy was annoyed and slightly aroused by the devilishly psychotic woman he was fighting. She wouldn’t give up and somehow had cut him, causing him to curse whatever vulnerable tainted blood of Luther that ran through his veins. 

Reaching for another dagger, Mara screamed in anger. She found nothing, she had used up every weapon she had. 

Superboy laughed, using his x-ray vision he saw her lack of weaponry, finally this little charade would be over. 

Mara turned to her opponent and greeted death as a friend.  
“almawt 'ana mustaeidun ati 'iilayk kasadiq” 

“What the hell does that mean”  
Superboy had superpowers and a potential for genius but no talent for languages.

Mara answered him with her fists and feet, rushing him with every ounce of strength she had left.  
He watched as her blows landed up and down his body with no effect.

“That's it”  
Superboy grabbed Mara by the leg, intercepting one of her kicks, and sent her flying through a wall and into the air, flying past the street outside.  
\--------

Barbara always wore her old batgirl mask during sex. It reminded her of before, when their love was a dirty secret reserved only for the rooftops of Gotham. 

Looking down at the man between her legs, eyeing his grey hair and wrinkled face, she was reminded how much things have changed. 

He used to be her dream, her nightmare, her everything. 

Feeling the way his rough calloused hands gripped her thighs keeping her in place, she was grateful that somethings were the same. No longer a dream or a nightmare, but still her everything.

Looking at a picture on the nightstand, her father in uniform, him in his suit, and her looking young and naive. She wondered what the detective, and later chief, would think if he could see them now.

Making love to a man twice her age, it was crude, it was scandalous, but he wasn’t just any man. 

He was more, more than a billionaire, more than a playboy, he was justice to a city that didn’t deserve him. 

She placed her hands on her chest, steadying herself as she ground her hips into him. The ring on her finger, sparkled as the moonlight hit it from the skylight above their bed. 

Closer to a trillionaire, no longer a playboy, and still the justice for a city that would never deserve him.

Her department issued pager interrupted them again, the buzzing sounding extra loud as it bounced around the wooden nightstand. A chief is supposed to be on call 24/7, her father taught her that, but her father was dead. And his death taught her more lessons then he ever did in life. 

The youngest chief in the city’s history, a Gordon by blood and a Wayne by marriage. The press had a field day. 

They would never know of her nights fighting crime, the villains she single handedly defeated, or her many struggles, some she overcame, and others that are still with her. 

Barbara knew she should attend to it, they wouldn’t page her this much if it wasn’t important. But she was close, close to getting something just as important, and with a couple of more shifts of the body and applications of pressure to the right spot, she would get it. 

His phone rang, not a cellphone like everyone has, but a corded phone seated on his nightstand.  
If they were calling him, whatever was happening was not just important, it was bad. 

Remembering her morals as a heroine, she put her needs aside, and gave him a kiss and a smile. Her way of saying it was okay to answer the phone. He returned her smile with his signature half smile, the same one that would grace the cover of Gotham’s magazines and the walls over her old bedroom. 

Gently she tried to lift herself up but a sharp pain from her spine shot down to her toes and up to her neck. She hoped in vain that he didn’t notice, taking a deep breath, she tried summoning her old Batgirl strength. The pain struck her again this time hard enough to bring a tear to her eyes as she bit down to keep from making a sound. 

Third time, this time she was going to do it and everything will be like it was. Closing her eyes and gritting her teeth in preparation for the pain that awaited her, she motioned to get up again.

This time she felt no pain and felt herself lift off his body. Opening her eyes she saw why, he lifted her with an ease that no man his age should have. With arm strength alone he set her on her feet beside the bed. 

Struggling a bit, she found her balance and slightly waddled away from the bed to a desk at the side of the room. 

Everything hurt, it hurt to stand, hurt to walk, but pain was a small price to pay to do the impossible. 

Leaning over the desk, she picked up a crisp one hundred dollar bill, still rolled from earlier. Placing one end into her right nostril and the other to the mirror, she felt the powder shoot up the dollar and into her brain like a straw. Tasting her hypocrisy backwash into her mouth, she finally was able to straighten her back and speak without a pain induced stutter. 

His voice broke the silence of the room. Always listening in, she heard a few choice words.  
“Dick” “Damian” and “Tim” there were other words but those were the ones that mattered.  
Hearing one name was okay, hearing two was an issue, but all three in succession that only meant a problem. 

He was a mighty tree, which caused his apples to fall all over the place. She worried that some of those apples may be poisonous. 

Hearing the phone land back on the receiver, she pressed her nose to the dollar one more time.  
“Was that Terry?” Barbara asked, after wiping herself clean of any residue. 

He turned to her and nodded, before reaching for his robe and leaving the room.  
Terry was the newest apple and thankfully he was as loyal and strong as the ones that came before him.

Going back to her mirror, she prepared herself for the headache that was coming. The pager had not stopped ringing and that meant she would have to put clothes on again. For her no easy task even with the help of the mirror. 

Taking off her old Batgirl mask, she took a second to think, she was 29 with the body of an old woman, and the mask in her hands was the reason why. 

She heard the car pull up in front of the house and looked outside the large ornate bedroom windows. 

Watching him leave the house, dressed in his all black suit and hat, she breathed a little easier. Whatever situation had arisen, its resolution was coming.


	3. Beloved Nanny

Cass moved quickly through the alleyways every second bringing her closer to her prey. Her target was Tamarainian, a fierce species of warriors from another world. A mere shot from one of her special arrows would not be fatal. 

Her mother trained her well, know your enemy, know their strengths and their weaknesses, don’t let pride or arrogance cloud your judgement, and always have a strategy. 

The scraped sides of buildings let her know she was close and soon she was following a trail of shredded pavement from what she assumed was a crash landing. 

Blackfire had at least a broken leg, she would heal quickly but not soon enough. Struggling to stand she silently hoped that her assassin thought her dead. She wasn’t worried, she had been hunted before and if she had it her way this wouldn’t be the last bad situation she found herself in. 

Her Tamrainian temper made her blood boil, she was royalty, the infamous Blackfire, shot out the sky like a common bird. The years of being on the run taught her to not give into her anger, that would have gotten her killed long ago. Instead she knew when to fight and when to run, in this case when to hide. 

Blackfire looked around for something suitable, she didn’t know what her assassin’s abilities were so finding a possible form of concealment was difficult. She caught sight of a dumpster, disgusting she thought but at this moment it was her only chance. 

Dragging her broken leg as she made her way across the street, she focused in on her foul smelling salvation, if she could only make a few more feet.

All thoughts of evasion were ended when a second arrow struck Blackfire in the shoulder sending her to the ground.

Cass knew she would attempt the dumpster, human or not, they always attempted the dumpster. 

Her mother would scold her for the pride she was feeling, but she couldn’t help congratulating self for finding the right kind of steel that would pierce Tamrainian. As an alien race, their skin was tough not every metal could penetrate it, but Cass had the full knowledge of the League to call upon and when Damian finally allowed her a night off to participate in the mission, she knew just what type of arrows and blade to use. 

Blackfire lifted her face from dirty pavement and tried to get on her feet. Her night was beyond ruined, she had planned to end this night face down and penetrated but not like this. 

She wasn’t scared, a warrior from birth, she was ready to die at any moment, she felt no fear, just anger. Blackfire was far from done living, she wanted to steal more, drink more, smoke more, dance more, fuck more, and do all the things her elders told her good little princesses couldn’t. 

Finally standing she charged up her purple starbolts and prepared for a final attack, if she could catch her assassin with even one bolt she was sure they wouldn’t survive. The tricky part wasn’t in the attack itself but it’s delivery. 

Instead of straightening her back, Blackfire continued to hunch over and moved slowly, letting her wounds show as much as possible. Making sure to over dramatize her limp she inched farther down the street letting out cries of pain for her assassin to hear. Keeping her readied star bolts concealed she waited until her assassin was close, too close to dodge.

Cass had dropped her bow, she didn’t intend to give a fellow warrior such an undignified death. 

When the League takes out royalty, all regal rights must be observed, no stabs in the back or kills from afar. There was only one way, the warrior way, a swift slice to the neck and detachment of the head. Unsheathing her Katana once more, she promised it the blood of her enemy. 

“Bitch” cried Blackfire  
She turned and unleashed a hellfire of purple starbolts at Cass.

The daughter of the great Lady Shiva knew better than to ever let her guard down no matter how weak or wounded an opponent may appear. 

The first barrage of starbolts Cass dodged with a back flip, the second she deflected with her sword. Cass knew it wasn’t about blocking the starbolt, it was about piercing it at the right angle to extinguish its energy, a hard and painful technique to learn, one misstep and the starbolt would destroy the katana along with its wielder. 

Blackfire could not see her assassin, where they once stood was engulfed in an immense cloud of purple smoke. Assuming her victory, Blackfire began laughing hysterically.  
“You stupid bitch, thats what you get for fucking with a princess of Tamaran”

Her words were answered with a swift and sharp pain to her unbroken leg. 

In one motion, Cass had lunged out of the smoke and sliced her across the thigh just deep enough to send the princess to her knees. 

“You better kill me now because if you don’t I’m going to smoke you alive like a florean rat” Blackfire said through her pain. 

Grinning, Cass took position behind Blackfire and leveled her katana at the Tamrainain’s neck. 

Swinging her Katana Cass felt the blade nearly break against the metal of the baton that had intercepted her killing blow. 

Before she could see her attacker she was struck in the head with a second Baton so hard that it knocked her several steps back. 

Lucky to only lose her balance, she steadied herself and saw a man wearing a dark blue cloak, his face hidden behind an Owl mask.  
\------------

Batman watched the last assassin fall to the ground shrieking in electrified pain. The electricity from his bat tasers was nearly all used up, some his opponents wore armor and required more than one buzz to go down. 

“I was going to come and save you like my Dad used to but it seems you can actually handle yourself,”  
Superboy’s tone annoyed Batman just as much as his words  
.  
Turning to the young Kent, the two heroes sized each other up. Superboy didn’t have his father’s height and was actually slightly shorter than Batman. Embarrassed by this he quickly used his X-ray vision to find something he can use to dig at the dark knight’s ego.That's when he realized it.

“Wait, your not Bruce Wayne”  
Almost shocked at something that would have been obvious to anyone who had known the original Batman. 

“And your not Clark Kent”  
Batman responded, his response stinging Superboy’s already inflated ego.

As Superboy struggled to find a comeback, Batman walked out to the street eager to finally capture the notorious Mara Al Ghul.  
“Hold up Bats or whoever you are,”

Batman turned and watched Superboy move so fast it appeared like he glided into the street next to him.

“That pretty little psycho and me have something going on, I’ll take care of her,”

“She is a violent assassin not your next hot date, step aside baby Kent”

Superboy heard the sound of engines coming at them from both sides. 

“Hmm I think there here for you make believe Batman, best not keep them waiting,”  
Superboy then sped off into the distance towards the crater Mara made when she landed

Looking at his out of power bat tasers Batman decided they were only good for one thing.  
He waited until the first car was close enough before he chucked it through the windshield and into the forehead of the driver knocking them unconscious. The car zoomed past him and struck a nearby streetlamp.The second car neared and he did the same thing only this time missing and hitting the man next to the driver. 

Shaking his head, Batman had a new plan, taking out his batgrapple he shot the front end of the still speeding car and waited until the right moment. As soon as it presented itself, he dropped his weight to one knee and used it to disrupt the car’s momentum and send it careening into the other car still wrapped around the lamp post. 

Batman knew this just the beginning but patiently he waited to see the attackers still conscious crawl out of the two wrecked cars. 

The first car was filled with Owls who made sure to brush off their suits as soon as they got to their feet. The second car contained Assassins, each one unsheathing a sword as soon as they were able to. The Owls and Assassins looked at each other and then looked at Batman. 

Slightly amused by this predicament, this time Batman decided to let it play out. 

It was the Owls who made the first move, pulling their guns, some of them opened fire on the Assassins and the others took aim at Batman. The Assassins not to be out done, charged at the Owls while a few ambitious Assassins charged Batman. 

After throwing batarangs at the Owl shooters, Batman engaged the Assassins in hand to hand combat, losing himself in a fury of strikes, blocks, and bullet dodges.  
\----------  
“So your Damian’s new Raven” 

This comment earned the blue cloaked Owl a flying dagger but to Cass’s shock he caught it in mid air and before she could fully process what he had done he sent it back right at her. 

Coming to her senses she tried to catch it but only managed to grab the hilt just as it entered her shoulder. 

Even more astonishing, the Owl did this without letting the baton he let go hit the ground after catching and throwing back her blade. 

He then whispered the location of a waiting car into Blackfire’s ear, the idea of surviving the night made her smile before she took off in the air, flying slowly like a wounded bird as she escaped right before Cass’s eyes. 

To use one of her friend Mara’s phrases, Cass was “fucking pissed”. She had her first kill in months kneeling right before her, she could almost taste the blood that would have squirted from her neck but instead this “fucking asshole”, another one of Mara’s phrases, denied her the chance. 

Without a second thought, Cass rushed her new enemy swinging her Katana as fast and skillfully as she could.

The blue Owl moved gracefully from side to side, stepping forward or back as needed, each movement allowing him to deny Cass the ability to land a single blow. She became frustrated, this man was toying with her. Her frustration, like her mother warned her, made her sloppy, leaving herself open. She took a kick to the chest that knocked her back several feet.

“You know your really quiet, the first Raven was too, I guess that must be Damian’s type”

This time Cass threw her Katana at him, a mistake that she knew she would pay for but in the moment she had to do something to shut him up. 

Like the dagger before, the Owl caught it and instead of flinging it back at her, he held it for a moment to inspect it.  
“This is old, very old, definitely from the League arsenal, you must be someone special, and not just to Damian I mean,”

She was sick of his taunting, she flung herself at him, kicking and punching doing her best to not let up. The blue Owl honored her choice of fighting style and dropped his batons, he then dodged most of the blows and for the ones he didn’t, he blocked until finally he slipped up, allowing Cass to land a hard kick to his jaw. 

Cass’s kick broke a piece of his Owl mask and now part of his lower jaw and right cheek were exposed. Raising his hand to the exposed portion of lips, he felt the wetness of blood against his finger tips. This embarrassed him, he wasn’t just any Owl, he was their leader, their Talon, to make him bleed deserved a quick and brutal response. Anticipating her next attack, he quickly caught her arm and used her own momentum to break it then with another kick sent her to the floor. 

Looking at Cass, now on the floor clutching her broken arm, Talon continued.  
“Wow, I am impressed, it's not very often a little leaguer like yourself can actually hit me, no wonder Damian likes you,”

To his surprise she hopped from the ground to her feet and continued her attack, letting her broken limb hang as she kicked and chopped with her one good arm. 

Talon’s amusement with the fight had run its course. With two well placed kicks to her knees he sent her to the ground. He was surprised to not hear her scream, having broken at least one of her knees if not both. 

Cass refused to give up, down two legs and an arm, she threw one more dagger from the ground.

Not expecting it, Talon barely dodged it in time, the dagger flying so close to his face it sliced through the unbroken side of his mask cutting into the skin of his check as it flew past. 

“I was going to let you live, send you back wounded to your mighty Demon’s head, but now I think I’ll do it your way and leave your body for him to find, a little message from a Robin to a Robin,”

Picking up his baton, Talon twirled it giving Cass an opportunity to see the instrument of her death. 

“Richard, that is enough,”  
The voice caught Talon by surprise, he stopped what he was doing and watched as an old man exited a sixty year old black limousine. 

“And take off that stupid mask you look ridiculous,”  
As Talon he wanted to ignore him, but as Dick, he couldn’t help but listen to his adopted father and pulled off his Owl mask. 

“And to what do I owe the pleasure, Bruce”  
Dick stared at that man he once idolized, his presence still imposing despite the many years passed. The black suit of the man who ran Gotham city was no less intimidating than the cowl.

“I said no fighting and I meant what I said,”  
Bruce’s voice was direct and unyielding, talking to Dick like if he was a child. 

“Come on, Damain had his assassins attack someone under my protection in one of my buildings, he started it,”  
Dick resented the fact that he now sounded like a child.

“I will speak to him on the matter, but his actions do not excuse yours”

Staring at his shoes, Dick didn’t speak.

The pair stood facing each other in silence, until the old man made his proclamation.  
“You and Damian are to settle this,”

Dick opened his mouth to protest but caught his words before they exited his lips, the old man was right and he knew it.

Taking Dick’s silence to mean his acceptance, Bruce went on.  
“It is little Raven’s birthday on Sunday, once you have made peace with Damian, I’d like you to attend”

Dick nodded, he had introduced her parents and had been close to her mother. Now as the little girl’s Godfather, he spoiled her as if she was his own. 

A limousine came to a stop behind Dick and an Owl rushed out to open the door for him. Inside Blackfire had her feet up and was drinking from a bottle of champagne. Bruce eyed her contemptuously, he understood Dick’s reasons for protecting her, but she had not been in Gotham a full week and she was already about to cause a war. 

Bruce’s words were clear and direct.  
“Go home Dick, don’t forget what I said”

Nodding again, Dick wondered where his voice had gone. It was much easier to defy his adoptive father when he was Robin or Nightwing, but now things had changed. As Talon he had responsibilities, lives under his control, this gave Bruce’s words a weight that they never had before. Dick finally understood the old man, and out of the understanding came a level of respect that went beyond the kind that a son has for a father. Accepting Bruce’s words and what he now had to do, Dick entered the limousine.

“Terry”  
At the word of Bruce, Terry who had been leaning against the hood of the car smoking a cigarette and pretending to not listen, jumped up he went to pick up the still wounded Cass.

“Put her in the trunk, and be careful, Assassins bite”  
Terry nodded his head and carried her to the rear of the car.

“Since when did you have get a soft spot for his replacement Raven”

Bruce saw Dick smiling through the rolled down window of his limo. After giving his adopted son an annoyed stare, he decided to answer him. 

“My granddaughter would be very upset if I let you kill her beloved Nanny”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for Reading, thoughts and comments are always appreciated, much love...


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